Last night Julie Bishop released a report by ACER on year 12 curriculum focusing on Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, History and English (you may have heard discussion on this on AM this morning or seen the story in the Australian.

I have done a quick cut and paste of the executive summary focusing on the three science and mathematics subjects (see below) and the full report is available at
http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/school_education/publications_resources/profiles/y12_curriculum_standards.htm

Regards

Bradley Smith
Executive Director
FASTS


Curriculum content: What is common?  
Physics and Chemistry are subjects with a very high degree of national curriculum consistency. Each  state and territory offers subjects called Physics and Chemistry, and an analysis of the curriculum in  these subjects shows that 85 to 95 per cent of curriculum content-both subject matter and intended  skills/understandings-is common to all eight jurisdictions.

In Mathematics, 27 different TER courses are offered across Australia. Results in these  courses/subjects can be used in the calculation of a student's Tertiary Entrance Rank. These courses are  designed for different purposes and for students with different abilities and interests. Within these 27  courses, each state and territory offers a course that is identifiable as high-level mathematics. An  analysis of these high-level mathematics curricula reveals a high degree of consistency across the eight  jurisdictions. Approximately 90 per cent of the content of these high-level courses is common across  states and territories.  

Curriculum content: What is essential?
As well as analysing what is currently taught across Australia in these five senior subjects, this project  also sought opinions on what should be taught in these subjects from selected experts (teachers,  teacher-educators, university discipline specialists, and community members). These experts were  asked to review and rate the importance of current curriculum content and to identify other content that  they considered important but missing from current curricula.  In Physics, almost all topics identified as 'essential' by the majority of reviewers are present in all state  and territory curricula. The only exception is the topic Static Electricity & Electronics, which was  judged essential by the majority of reviewers but is not included in all state/territory curricula.

In Chemistry, the same topics appear in almost all state and territory documents and almost all were  considered essential by the majority of reviewers. Two exceptions are Analytical Techniques and  Gases in the Atmosphere, which appear in only some curricula. Analytical Techniques was rated  'essential' by almost all reviewers. On the other hand, while all states and territories include in their  Chemistry curricula the historical development of atomic theory, none of the reviewers considered this  topic essential.  

In Mathematics, a list was developed of all topics covered in senior mathematics courses, and  reviewers were asked to rate how essential each topic was for inclusion in the highest-level  mathematics course. Almost all mathematics topics judged 'essential' by the reviewers appear in  almost all state and territory highest-level mathematics curricula. The exceptions are The Binomial  Theorem, Logic Proof, and Sequences and Series, which most reviewers considered 'essential' but are  mentioned in a minority of advanced courses. (It is possible that, in some states, advanced  mathematics students are exposed to these topics in other, complementary, mathematics courses). One  topic-Application of Calculus to Conics-is mentioned in all advanced courses but was not  considered essential by the majority of reviewers.

Achievement standards: Are they comparable?
This study also considered the standards of achievement expected of students in each state and  territory as reflected in jurisdictions' descriptions of what students must do to be awarded the highest  possible grade (eg, Band 6 in New South Wales, Very High Achievement in Queensland). This  analysis included an inspection of readily available assessment materials (school-based and externally  set).  Across Australia, in all five subjects, there is a degree of consistency in what is looked for when  assessing students' achievements. In any given subject, states and territories tend to pay attention to  the same kinds of achievements and features of student work (eg, a student's ability to 'use evidence to  support a point of view').  

In Chemistry and Physics, there is a high degree of consistency in the kinds of achievements and  features of student work that are assessed in the senior school, consistent with the high degree of  commonality in Chemistry and Physics curriculum content.  

In Mathematics, despite the commonality of curriculum content in high-level courses, there are some  significant differences in what is required to achieve the highest available grade in advanced  mathematics. Some jurisdictions require students to demonstrate mastery of a broader range of  mathematical content; some appear to require higher levels of mathematical sophistication.  

Questions raised by this study  
This study has shown that, in some senior subjects such as Chemistry and Physics, there is already a  very high degree of curriculum consistency across Australia. The selected experts asked to review the  Chemistry and Physics curricula provided strong support for the current content of these subjects,  while individually questioning the current relevance of some particular topics and proposing other  topics that might be given more emphasis. Given that at least 85 per cent of the curriculum in these  subjects is common across Australia, a question remains about the necessity and efficiency of  developing curricula and their accompanying assessment processes for these subjects seven times in  seven different jurisdictions (for use in eight jurisdictions).

In these subjects, and perhaps others such  as Economics, it should be a straightforward matter to reach Australia-wide agreement on a core of  essential curriculum content (including both subject matter and essential skills/understandings).  A similar question can be asked about the need for 27 different TER mathematics courses across  Australia. Different mathematics courses are required for students of different abilities and interests,  but it is difficult to imagine that 27 different courses are necessary. Among the seven high-level  mathematics courses-which go by a variety of names-there is a high degree of consistency of  curriculum content, again suggesting that the identification of a core of essential content should be  straightforward. The group of expert mathematics reviewers was supportive of current course content  but felt that some essential topics were missing from some state curricula.  

Going forward on the basis of the study  On the basis of this study, we believe it would be desirable to:
 1.  identify, for each of some nominated senior school subjects, a curriculum 'core' that clearly  specifies what all students in Australia taking that subject are expected to learn, regardless of  where they live in Australia; and  
 2.  develop a set of achievement standards as a nationally consistent description of how well students  are expected to learn the core in each subject.  

Curriculum 'core' in a subject could be expressed in terms of subject matter (eg, topics, text types, big  ideas and concepts) and skills (both subject-specific and generic). It should:  
€  ensure sustained engagement with central concepts and principles in order to develop deep  understanding;  
€  relate these central concepts to the world that students understand;  
€  express central concepts in language that is familiar to students;  
€  be developed to minimise overlap or duplication of core content across subjects;  
€  ensure the integration of academic content with the teaching and learning of higher-order thinking  skills (ie, not privilege generic skills over conventional knowledge categories);  
€  require the development of factual (or declarative) knowledge. Students must learn facts, concepts  and procedures and must be able to demonstrate and apply this knowledge (eg, to problems,  performances); and  
€  respect domain-specific knowledge (ie, strike a balance between everyday relevance and application  and more esoteric knowledge).  

Curriculum documents should identify core content and standards in clear and precise language, even  if the concepts (eg, in Atomic Theory) are not widely understood by the public. This does not  necessarily mean avoiding technical and specialist terms: these are required for precise communication  among teachers. A lack of clarity in curriculum documents sometimes arises from attempts to be  inclusive and positive.  Terminology for describing the subject matter of the core curriculum should be consistent across  Australia, there should be a common language for talking about theoretical and practical aspects of  curriculum and assessment (including moderation), and common symbols should be used for codifying  results on certificates.